History of China’s National Policy on Small Xinjiang Nationalities (1911–1976)

Despite the fact that the policy of cultural assimilation has more than once allowed the Chinese government to gradually emerge victorious from internal ethnic conflicts, the same strategy in Xinjiang only leads to an increase in protest sentiments and aggravates the position of the authority of the Chinese government in the region. However, a sufficient number of scientific papers that would systematize the experience of previous conflicts in China have not been found. The purpose of the study is to chronologically structure the most significant issues of Xinjiang region from the beginning of the Xinhai Revolution in 1911 to the end of the "cultural revolution" in 1976. The study is based on the analysis of official statistics, program documents of the Communist Party of China and the laws of the People's Republic of China. The study uses the method of comparative analysis and content analysis of official documents, a historiographic review of known points of view on the national question of Xinjiang, the results of modern scientific research by domestic and Western historians. The results of the study show that the main feature of China's policy towards the national problems of Xinjiang is its focus on using previously used methods and maintaining the status quo. Such strategy has historically proved untenable due to the popular discontent that accompanies it. The practical significance of the study lies in the possibility of using the findings when arguing the reasons for the low effectiveness of the struggle of the PRC authorities against the development of a local separatist movement and the growth of the country's terrorism index.